OP-ED: Aiding And Abetting The Russian Agenda In America

The story that just won’t die, Russian election interference and collusion. Although no evidence of collusion has yet been presented, there is ample evidence of aiding and abetting Russian efforts to de-legitimize the American Presidency. I recently came across a blog post, Putin Is Laughing At American Dump Trumpers, written back in December, that puts the whole debate into perspective.

The story of Russian election mischief is not new. The story originally broke back in October. Back then, the worry was that Putin’s agents would directly hack voting machines. The goal, as the intelligence experts explained, wasn’t necessarily to change the outcome of the election, but rather to change enough votes to “undermine confidence in the electoral process”. Remember that, it’ll be on the final exam.

When it was determined that even the Russians couldn’t hack voting machines not connect to the internet, then the narrative changed. Enter WikiLeaks, DNC/Podesta email hacks and allegations that “the Russians” hacked the emails and fed them to WikiLeaks. Of course, the validity of the emails and the contents of the emails were never called into question. The “Russian connection” was never anything more than a distraction from the fact that the emails exposed political shenanigans, hypocrisy and DNC/Media collusion.

Even NPR was forced to admit, “U.S. officials have not contended, however, that Trump would have been defeated by Clinton on Nov. 8 if not for Russia’s assistance. Nor has there been any indication of tampering with the vote-counting.” The argument has since morphed into Russia conducting a “propaganda war” through “Fake News” that influenced voters. Not to mention blowing out of proportion any and every contact that anyone close to President Trump ever had with anyone Russian.

So, what was Russia’s, or Vladamir Putin’s, goal in meddling in the American election? First, you have to look at the history of the two candidates. Hillary Clinton was a known quantity, politically. She was a predictable politician. She brokered the Uranium One deal, giving Russia control of 20% of America’s uranium. She was responsible for the “Russian Reset.” She was Secretary of State while Russia repeatedly made fools out of the Obama Administration. Her husband, President Bill Clinton, was garnering half a million dollar speaking fees in Russia. Not to mention, she was presumed to be the next President by almost all national polls and international opinion as well. Even AFTER all the supposed meddling.

On the other hand, Donald Trump was a political novice, a wildcard, an unknown quantity. Granted, a political novice may have been advantageous for Russian foreign policy, but it may also have been very detrimental. Most people may not realize this, but predictability is generally preferred in political affairs over unpredictability. So, in terms of predictability, history of capitulation and track record, Hillary Clinton should have been Russia’s preferred choice of American Presidential candidates. So, why meddle in the election to assist Donald Trump?

Therein lies the heart of the matter. If Hillary Clinton was the presumptive winner and was arguably the better choice in terms of Russian foreign policy, why help Trump? Unless the intention was never to help Trump at all. WAIT… WHAT? Trump won, so they MUST HAVE been trying to help him, right? Maybe not. After all, the Steele dossier that Democrats tried to use against Donald Trump, proven to be fake, cited high level Russian sources. So, who was colluding?

When you approach the issue from this perspective, a lot of nagging questions become clear. Eight years of the Obama Administration “leading from behind” had set the stage for Russian expansion. Putin was rising in international power through Crimea, Syria and dominance of energy supplies in Eastern Europe. Undermining the legitimacy of the incoming President, presumably Hillary Clinton who was already viewed as weak and capitulating, would only strengthen Russian dominance and power.

It could be argued that Russian meddling was an abject failure if it aided in President Trump’s election in any way. Having a scandal ridden American President who was already viewed as weak by Russian standards would have been far more beneficial. The irony of ironies here is that, from this perspective Putin failed, but the American media and Democratic party picked up the torch and continue Russian efforts to undermine the American Presidency. Fake News, unfounded and unsubstantiated claims of collusion and even treason, #NotMyPresident, etc.

Who is really trying to advance the Russian agenda in America? Donald Trump? The American Media? The Liberal Left?

Joining the U.S. Air Force right out of high school, Jon had the opportunity to experience many different parts of the world and different cultures. His post military career path, both white collar and blue collar, allowed him to work alongside both CEOs and average Joes. “Writing was never a goal or even vaguely contemplated as a career choice, it just happened, an accidental discovery of a talent and a passion.” A passion that has taken him in many directions from explorations of the zombie subculture and writing zombie stories to politics and News. He is an avid “people watcher,” political junkie and has a ravenous appetite for history and current events alike.

About the Author

Joining the U.S. Air Force right out of high school, Jon had the opportunity to experience many different parts of the world and different cultures. His post military career path, both white collar and blue collar, allowed him to work alongside both CEOs and average Joes. "Writing was never a goal or even vaguely contemplated as a career choice, it just happened, an accidental discovery of a talent and a passion." A passion that has taken him in many directions from explorations of the zombie subculture and writing zombie stories to politics and News. He is an avid "people watcher," political junkie and has a ravenous appetite for history and current events alike.